ghetto

ghetto

A term with its origins in eastern Europe, used to designate the part of town occupied by Jewish citizens. Now the term ghetto is used to describe any urban area suffering significant deterioration, often predominated by one or a very few ethnic or racial groups. Disputes often arise regarding whether lenders, insurers, and other service providers are engaged in illegal discrimination when they redline these neighborhoods, or whether they are assessing risks based on the quality of the infrastructure and not on any judgments regarding the inhabitants.

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